Why Your Best People Leave! 5 Strategies to Help Them Stay!

Early in my career, I was a recruiter for a large employer. I could attract incredible talent, people with skills, drive, and passion.

But there was one problem: the tenured employees were leaving just as fast as I was hiring.

It became painfully clear that the issue wasn’t about finding good people; it was about keeping them.

Over time, those same great hires began to feel invisible, like their work didn’t matter, their efforts weren’t noticed, and their value wasn’t truly seen.

That position as a recruiter taught me the importance of a strong workplace culture and that people are looking for more than just a paycheck.

Here is the thing, high turnover doesn’t happen overnight.

It builds quietly, through frustration, disconnection, and fatigue until one day your best people start walking out the door.

My biggest question was never why they quit, but rather, what made them start looking to leave in the first place?

For many leaders, the real challenge isn’t replacing talent. It’s recognizing the early warning signs before it’s too late.

🚩 The Early Warning Signs of High Turnover 🚩

If you look closely, your organization often tells you what’s coming.

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Below are a few red flags 🚩,leaders should never ignore:

1. Declining engagement and motivation

When employees stop showing initiative, creativity, or enthusiasm for their work, it’s a sign they’ve emotionally checked out long before they submit their resignation.

2. Increased absenteeism or “quiet quitting”

More sick days, late starts, or extended breaks often point to disengagement. When people stop going the extra mile, they’ve already started to distance themselves from the team.

3. Drop in collaboration and communication

You might hear more complaints, more conflict, and fewer solutions. Teams that once worked well together start to silo, protect their time, or avoid each other entirely.

4. Performance inconsistency

Quality issues, missed deadlines, or low productivity can signal deeper morale problems—especially when they’re happening across multiple people or departments.

5. Exit interviews that sound the same

When departing employees consistently mention lack of growth, poor communication, or feeling undervalued, it’s not a coincidence. It’s a culture issue!

The Real Cost of Turnover

Every departure comes with a price, recruiting, onboarding, training, lost productivity, and the impact on team morale.
But the greatest cost is the loss of trust.

When good people leave, others start to question their own future too.

According to Gallup, replacing an employee can cost up to two times their annual salary and that’s before factoring in the ripple effect on engagement and performance.

Why Strengths-Based Leadership Changes the Retention Game

Turnover isn’t just a staffing problem, it’s a leadership problem.
And that’s exactly where a strengths-based approach can make all the difference.

When leaders learn to lead through strengths, they stop trying to “fix” people and start developing what’s right with them.

✨Here’s how that shifts retention✨

1. Employees feel seen and valued

People stay where they feel understood. Strengths-based leadership gives managers the language to recognize and appreciate what employees naturally do best making them feel essential, not replaceable.

2. Roles align with natural talents

When work matches people’s strengths, energy rises, frustration drops, and performance improves. Engagement follows, because people are doing work that fits who they are.

3. Conversations shift from weakness to growth

Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, strengths-based leaders coach employees on how to build excellence around their unique abilities. That builds motivation and commitment.

4. Teams build mutual respect

Understanding each other’s strengths reduces conflict, increases collaboration, and helps teams see differences as asset not irritations.

5. Leadership trust grows

When leaders lead authentically through their own strengths, people feel it. Trust increases, communication opens up, and employees feel psychologically safe to contribute, learn, and stay.

From Turnover to Tenure

Retention doesn’t come from more perks, pay, or policies, it comes from connection.

When employees feel seen, valued, and understood for what they naturally do best, they don’t look for the next opportunity they help you build it.

If you’ve been noticing the signs lower energy, inconsistent performance, or good people leaving it might be time to shift how your organization leads.

Ready to Build a Workplace People Don’t Want to Leave?

At Foundation 34, we help leaders and organizations in high-impact industries uncover and apply their strengths to create workplaces where people want to stay, grow, and perform.

👉 Visit our website, https://www.wendyhofford.com to learn more about our Strengths-Focused Leadership Programs and how you can bring this approach into your team or organization.